The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing chain-like food products such as sausages for automatically effecting stuffing and linking (formation of twisted portions) by mainly using a natural intestine as a casing.
As manufacturing methods and apparatuses of this type, those disclosed in JP-A-6-7073 and JP-A-9-266753 are known. JP-A-6-7073 discloses an apparatus for stuffing and linking natural intestine sausages whose link lengths are nonuniform, the apparatus comprising a material supplying means for intermittently supplying a material each in a fixed amount into a natural intestine casing and a pinching means and a pinching means for pinching the stuffed natural intestine casing by operating in synchronism with the intermittent supply of the material. Meanwhile, JP-A-9-266753 discloses an apparatus for stuffing and linking natural intestine sausages whose link lengths are uniform, the apparatus comprising a material supplying means for continuously supplying a fixed amount of a material into a natural intestine casing and pincher members attached to a wrapping connector means at fixed intervals.
The link lengths of the natural intestine sausages in the apparatus of JP-A-6-7073 are difficult to be made uniform since they are affected by the variation of the amount of casing being pulled out from a stuffing nozzle on the basis of the discharge pressure of one portion of the material. Therefore, the stuffing degrees (stuffing densities) of the links are also difficult to be made uniform.
In the apparatus of JP-A-9-266753, since the attaching intervals of the pincher members are fixed, if the variation of the diameter of the natural intestine casing is excessively large, the stuffing degrees of the links having a desired fixed weight are affected by it. Hence, if the diameter of the natural intestine casing is small, the stuffing degree becomes excessively large, so that the natural intestine casing punctures, whereas if the diameter of the natural intestine casing is large, the stuffing degree becomes excessively small, and creases occur.
The present invention has been devised in view of the above-described various aspects, and its object is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing chain-like food products such as sausages which are simple in arrangement and which permit the high-speed production of both natural intestine sausages having a fixed quantity, a high stuffing density (tensioned link shape), and a substantially uniform link length and sausages using a natural intestine whose variation of the diameter is particularly large.
The method in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing chain-like food products such as sausages in which a stuffing material is continuously discharged from a distal end of a stuffing nozzle into an unstuffed casing fitted over the stuffing nozzle to form a stuffed casing forwardly of the distal end of the stuffing nozzle, the stuffed casing being rotated is pinched by pincher members each circulatingly moving about at least two rotational centers, and the pinched stuffed casing is moved in a downstream direction from the distal end of the stuffing nozzle together with the pincher members so as to form a twist in a portion of the stuffed casing pinched by the pincher members, comprising the step of: effecting an ensuing pinching following one pinching of the stuffed casing by the pincher members after the cancellation of the one pinching and after the lapse of a predetermined time so that a moving speed of the stuffed casing moving in a state in which the pinching by the pincher members has been canceled can be changed.
The method in accordance with another aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing chain-like food products such as sausages in which a stuffing material is continuously discharged from a distal end of a stuffing nozzle into an unstuffed casing fitted over the stuffing nozzle to form a stuffed casing forwardly of the distal end of the stuffing nozzle, the stuffed casing being rotated is pinched by pincher members each circulatingly moving about at least two rotational centers, and the pinched stuffed casing is moved in a downstream direction from the distal end of the stuffing nozzle together with the pincher members so as to form a twist in a portion of the stuffed casing pinched by the pincher members, comprising the step of: effecting an ensuing pinching following one pinching of the stuffed casing by the pincher members after the cancellation of the one pinching and after the lapse of a predetermined time so that the stuffed casing whose pinching by the pincher members has been canceled is moved by the discharge pressure of the stuffing material discharged from the distal end of the stuffing nozzle.
In the method in accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, the stuffed casing whose pinching by the pincher members has been canceled is clamped by stuffed-casing holding means which moves along the same circulatingly moving path as that of the pincher members, so as to impart a force for moving the stuffed casing to the stuffed casing.
The apparatus for manufacturing chain-like food products such as sausages in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention includes a stuffing nozzle over which an unstuffed casing is fitted and which is adapted to continuously discharge a stuffing material from a distal end thereof into the unstuffed casing so as to form a stuffed natural intestine casing forwardly of the distal end, and pincher members which are disposed on circulating endless members each adapted to circulatingly travel about at least two rotational centers and move in a downstream direction from the distal end of the stuffing nozzle while pinching the stuffed casing, so as to form a twist in a pinched portion of the stuffed casing by the rotation of the stuffed casing and the pinching by the pincher members, the apparatus comprising: means for effecting an ensuing pinching following one pinching of the stuffed casing by the pincher members after the cancellation of the one pinching and after the lapse of a predetermined time so that a moving speed of the stuffed casing moving in a state in which the pinching by the pincher members has been canceled can be changed.
The apparatus for manufacturing chain-like food products such as sausages in accordance with the other aspect of the present invention includes a stuffing nozzle over which an unstuffed casing is fitted and which is adapted to continuously discharge a stuffing material from a distal end thereof into the unstuffed casing so as to form a stuffed natural intestine casing forwardly of the distal end, and pincher members which are disposed on circulating endless members each adapted to circulatingly travel about at least two rotational centers and move in a downstream direction from the distal end of the stuffing nozzle while pinching the stuffed casing, so as to form a twist in a pinched portion of the stuffed casing by the rotation of the stuffed casing and the pinching by the pincher members, the apparatus comprising: means for effecting an ensuing pinching following one pinching of the stuffed casing by the pincher members after the cancellation of the one pinching and after the lapse of a predetermined time so that the stuffed casing whose pinching by the pincher members has been canceled is moved by the discharge pressure of the stuffing material discharged from the distal end of the stuffing nozzle.
In accordance with the present invention, since the stuffed casing is moved with the pincher members for a predetermined time, the length of the stuffed casing formed in the meantime become uniform. Subsequently, since the pinching of the stuffed casing by the pincher members is canceled, the stuffed casing which moves by receiving the stuffing discharge pressure moves at a slow moving speed if the diameter of the casing is large and at a fast moving speed if the diameter of the casing is small, so that the stuffing degree thereof becomes substantially uniform. As a result, even if a natural intestine casing having variations in its diameter is used, it is possible to effect high-speed production of chain-like natural intestine sausages consisting of links having a fixed quantity, a high (fixed) stuffing density (tensioned link shape), and a substantially uniform link length.
In accordance with the present invention, a moving force can be imparted to the stuffed casing which is moving by the stuffing discharge pressure by the stuffed-casing holding means which moves with the pincher members at the same speed in a state in which the pinching has been canceled. This permits the formation of links having less variation of length and a reduction of the occurrence of breakage of the natural intestine casing attributable to the stuffing discharge pressure. It is possible to appropriately set the magnitude of the moving force to be imparted in accordance with the characteristics of the natural intestine casing such as the magnitude of the variation and the mechanical strength of the natural intestine casing used.
The present invention is optimally suitable for the manufacture of sausages using a natural intestine casing, e.g., a hog casing or a sheep casing. However, the present invention is not limited to the same, and may be applied to the manufacture of sausages using an artificial casing such as a cellulose casing or a collagen casing.
Next, a description will be given of the present invention and its embodiments with reference to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.